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The childcare worker needs to understand that traditional and modern theories influence the areas of learning, therefore they need to become familiar with them in order to be able to justify how children get the best out of the areas of learning. By developing understanding of the theorists' work, planning can be undertaken across all areas of learning knowing how children will learn from resources, activities and experiences provided for them. Theories do not refer to one specific area of learning as there is a relationship between the areas of learning and this should be considered when planning for children. Maslow states that basic needs must be met such as food, water, sleep and health before higher needs are important. This means that a child must have food, water and sleep before they can take part in activities within the areas of learning and do their very best. Not meeting their basic needs will interfere with their ability to achieve, affecting the child's holistic development. Piaget believed that children learned best when discovering things for themselves and 'learning through experience'. By giving children choices within the areas of learning, leading the learning and experimenting in different situations, this can be achieved. Learning through play meets the outcomes of more than one area of learning. Learning can be cross-referenced across all areas of learning which makes the learning 'holistic learning'.
Name | Theory | Type of theory |
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Chomsky | Chomsky is a key theorist on language acquisition and suggested that a child does not learn a language but creates a brand new language. He suggests that language is intrinsic and that we are born with a series of rules in our head regarding language. He refers to this as universal grammar. Universal grammar is the basis on which all human languages are built. Some children will easily learn two languages or more during the early stages of their lives. | Cognitive |
Maslow |
People are motivated by the 5 needs (7 at a later stage) contained within hierarchy. Basic needs must be met such as food, water, sleep and health before higher needs can be considered. Examples of higher needs include self-respect, social interaction, confidence and morality. These needs can change from level to level, from hour to hour or from one day to the next. The likely motivation before a meal would be physiological needs, but intellectual motivation could happen later, possibly with the need to study.
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Humanistic |
Rogers | The tendency for self-actualization influences human behaviour. In order to realise this potential and ensure good mental health, a person requires a high level of self-respect. A child who has experienced an unconditional positive attitude will have a real self (I do) and an ideal self (I should) that are similar, and a high level of self-respect. They will be confident, open and trusting. A child who has only experienced a conditional positive attitude e.g. love and affection when 'behaving' in a certain way, will also develop a real self and an ideal self but there may be a bigger difference between the two selves. This will cause a low level of self-respect, a lack of confidence, anxiety and sadness, and the child could behave in an inappropriate manner. A child who has only experienced negative attitudes, criticism and blame will also develop a low level of self-respect, which will lead to mental illness and problems in the future. When facing a worrying or intimidating situation, people will use defences such as denial (e.g. not opening an envelope that contains bad news) or perceptional gestures (e.g. blaming the teacher for poor results). | Humanistic |
Bandura | Albert Bandura believed that children learnt from their environment through imitation. This is called learning through observing. If a child sees an adult always speaking politely to other people, they will tend to imitate that behaviour. If a child sees another person, the model, receiving reward or praise for a specific type of behaviour, such as being polite, they will be more likely to try to imitate this. People will then form an opinion with regard to how to behave in other similar circumstances. Some people will be more important to the child than others and therefore more likely to be imitated, including an older brother or sister or parent, a fellow pupil, or even actors, singers or celebrities. People are more likely to imitate models of the same sex than of the opposite sex. Boys will imitate their father's male role or another male figure who they admire and girls will imitate their mother's female role or another female figure that they can relate to. If the model has great social status, power or ability, they are more likely to be imitated, for example, pop stars and other celebrities or actors in soap operas. Bandura believed that children imitate 'good' and 'bad' behaviour. In his well-known experiment using a Bobo doll, children who observed an adult behaving aggressively towards the plastic doll imitated the aggressive behaviour. See: http://bit.ly/2kkdcnP | Social learning |
Bowlby | Bowlby's theory on attachment emphasises the key part that the main care giver such as the mother, plays in the emotional development of the child. He believed that children experience one special attachment, that the attachment is innate and that children are pre-programmed to attach to the mother in order to exist. He believed that attachment needs to happen within a time referred to as the 'critical period', namely within the first two years of their life. Bowlby stated that what happens during the early months and years of life can have deep and long-lasting effects If the bond of affection between the child and its mother is broken by separation, this can cause psychological damage thus leading to offending or emotional difficulties. | Social learning |
Ainsworth |
Mary Ainsworth developed a theory on the different types of attachment. According to Ainsworth, the mother's behaviour towards the child influences the type of attachment that the child experiences. Mothers who respond to the needs of their children help them to create a positive attachment. According to Ainsworth, a child will belong to one of the following types of attachment, and will display the following behaviours:
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Social learning |
Rutter |
Resilience is the ability to 'bounce back' or deal with stress. The theory of resilience discusses the effect of challenging events on individuals and families and how they have adapted to that traumatic experience. Experiencing harmful events, such as the loss of a family member or homelessness, can place significant strain on mental health, and may cause some to fold under pressure. But not everybody will fold under pressure and some individuals will recover relatively well. Some will use their trauma to encourage them to live a more satisfactory life than they lived before their traumatic experience. This is what makes them resilient. Much of Michael Rutter's work is based on his research into children whose parents have schizophrenia. He states that resilience is more than social competency or positive mental health; competency must include an element of risk in order to be resilience. Rutter assumed that children can be resilient in relation to some risks, but not others. Therefore different risks and environmental changes can lead to a child showing resilience or a lack of resilience at different times. It is unlikely that any individual will be resilient in every situation throughout their life. For example, a child may show resilience during the divorce of their parents, but not following academic failure. He believed that there was a correlation between the amount of stress in a child's life and the likelihood that they would become an offender. There is a correlation between antisocial behaviour and factors within the home, such as conflict between parents. |
Theories of resilience |
Piaget |
Piaget believed that intelligence is established at birth and that children make an active attempt to understand the world around them. He believed that children learnt best by discovering things for themselves, learning through experience and developing what he referred to as 'schemas' to make sense of the world around them. Piaget believed that children moved through four stages of cognitive development:
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Constructivist Cognitive |
Vygotsky | Vygotsky suggested that interactions with others have a strong influence on the child's understanding of the world and that the quality of parents communication has a strong influence on the child's linguistic development. He believed that adults play a key part in helping children to develop and challenge themselves. As well as looking at the child's current stage of development, he looked at what the child could do during the next stage. He referred to this as the 'zone of proximal development' or the 'proximal development layer'. It refers to the difference between what a child can accomplish independently and what the child can accomplish with guidance and encouragement from a skilled teacher. Much of a child's cognitive development is achieved through social interaction with a more knowledgeable person. There is a 'proximal development layer' even when playing, as the child behaves on a higher level than their usual daily behaviour, for example, by imagining they are an adult whilst playing in the Wendy house. | Constructivist Cognitive |
Bruner | Bruner suggested that children needed to take an active part in their learning. He believed that the role of the adult was important and that interactions play a key part in promoting language. According to Bruner, parents need to read to their children in order to help to develop grammar, communication and literacy skills. Using language formats such as repeating language and reading books helps children to learn how to use language. In other words, they learn to understand that language has an order and that it is associated with interactions. | Constructivist Cognitive |
Pavlov | Pavlov's classical conditioning theory looks at how children can be conditioned to behave in a certain way and can learn behaviour. Children learn how to connect different behaviours with different responses. If a child gets attention for an action or for speaking in a certain way, and that the response is pleasant, they are likely to repeat the behaviour. If the response is negative, they are unlikely to repeat the behaviour. For example, a child may know that crying draws the attention of their parents, and will therefore repeat the action. | Behavioural |
Skinner | Skinner suggested that behaviour can be reinforced and that children can learn as a result of their actions. He referred to this as 'operant conditioning'. The reinforcement may be positive, such as a pleasant outcome, praise for example, or negative, such as an unpleasant outcome, a punishment for example. Children can be rewarded or praised for saying their first word, so may repeat that or older children could be punished for swearing and therefore would be less likely to do so again. | Behavioural |
Watson |
Watson believed that children have three basic emotional reactions:
He suggested that new emotional reactions could be conditioned and that these would develop over time. He also emphasised the importance of learning and environmental influences within human development. |
Behavioural |
Groos | Karl Groos believed that play allows children to practice the roles of adults and to develop the skills required to survive in later life. When animals 'play', they practice basic instincts, such as fighting, in order to survive. | Play |
Klein | Following research, Melanie Klein developed a play technique as a form of therapy. Klein used a simple play room, with a collection of toys and role play equipment, which gave children freedom to use their imagination and express their feelings. Simple, understandable language was used when interacting with the children and they were given opportunities to take on the role of the adult when playing, while the adult played the role of the child. Klein realised that play was a way of connecting and communicating with children in a way that was not possible orally. This is what makes play therapy so effective with children, especially children with communication difficulties or who have experienced extreme trauma that they would be unable to express with a limited vocabulary. | Play |
Freud | Sigmund Freud believed that children play in order to master negative emotions such as rage or worry. He believed that play offers children opportunities to deal with traumatic experiences and events by providing safe ways for children to express their feelings. Play helps children to control their feelings and to deal with situations that cause stress or trauma. | Play |
Froebel | Friedrich Froebel was a play theorist who believed that every child is born good and that adults should provide the appropriate activities and environment for them to develop. Friedrich Froebel believed that children learn best through imaginary play. He was also very well known for promoting 'block play' (which he would call gifts) in order to promote children's understanding of mathematical concepts through play. | Play |
Steiner | Rudolph Steiner believed that life should be considered as a journey rather than a race, and that it is therefore important for children to be children first of all, thus being more likely to develop to be balanced and sensible adults. Steiner believes that play is the serious work of childhood. He also believed that childhood had three parts, namely the 'hand, the 'heart' and the 'head'. | Play |
Montessori |
Maria Montessori was an Italian doctor who worked with poor children in Rome in the 1900s. Her theory about play was different to Froebel's theory, as she did not believe that imaginative play was important. Montessori believed that play needed to be more structured and challenging, that children need to do more than imagine, that they need to do real things such as cooking or gardening using real equipment. She believed that children needed child-sized equipment, materials and furniture. She designed and produced her own equipment that allowed children to explore concepts such as shape, weight, colour and number and encouraged them to do so. Like Froebel, Montessori believed that children learn by doing and that outdoor play was just as important as indoor play, that play reflected life, and that children are active learners. |
Play |
Information taken and adapted from the Hwb website:
The childcare worker needs to work in a way which uses theoretical frameworks when planning and undertaking activities for the areas of learning. This will allow the children to participate in action learning and develop according to their needs.
When planning and undertaking activities in a range of environments the childcare worker will work in a way which supports the child's development in all areas of learning. The following principles should be considered when meeting the needs of each individual child:
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The area of learning which develops the Welsh language links to every area of learning within the curriculum.
In the Foundation Phase Framework WG states:
"The Foundation Phase contributes to the Curriculum Cymreig by developing children’s understanding of the cultural identity unique to Wales across all Areas of Learning through an integrated approach. Children should appreciate the different languages, images, objects, sounds and tastes that are integral in Wales today and gain a sense of belonging to Wales, and understand the Welsh heritage, literature and arts as well as the language."
This helps the child feel that they belong to their community and Wales, and helps them develop their understanding of Wales. By recognising and supporting the Welsh language and Welsh culture, children will enjoy opportunities to celebrate Wales' special cultures, languages and traditions whilst also respecting other cultural values. They will also develop knowledge of their own communities; their values and traditions. By learning about Wales' history and geography, children will develop their understanding of past and present lives and communities.
Areas of Learning | How to promote the Welsh language and Welsh culture |
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Personal and Social Development, Well-being and Cultural Diversity |
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Language, Literacy and Communication Skills |
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Mathematical Development |
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Welsh Language Development |
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Knowledge and Understanding of the World |
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Physical Development |
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Creative Development |
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It is important to provide positive environments that develop and support children's emotional, physical and mental well-being in order to support their growth and development. A positive environment enables you to promote the physical, social, emotional, cognitive and linguistic development of children in your care. The Foundation Phase's statutory framework provides children with opportunities to achieve holistic development by offering a curriculum which focuses on the needs of each individual child. It considers children's experiences, their existing knowledge and what they have already learnt. This allows the planning of an appropriate curriculum to support the learning further.
The areas of the curriculum include:
A positive environment supports children’s social and emotional development. Seeing positive images regularly in the setting will develop children's sense of self-identity. For example, a character with a disability could be chosen as a superhero, or people dressed in clothes representing a variety of cultures such as a sari or hijab.
Confidence and independence are encouraged by providing equipment and resources that are suitable for children's stage of development and are accessible to them. Planning is required in order to ensure that all children can access all resources available. The positive behaviour of children will develop as they understand expectations and as they are encouraged and praised to follow the rules of the setting. By taking part in play activities in the indoor or outdoor area, children socialise with adults and other children in a fun way.
A positive environment supports linguistic development by providing suitable areas for communicating with adults or other children. Small cosy areas can help to reduce background noise and encourage shy children to communicate as they feel secure. Resources such as puppets, recording equipment and toys such as telephones allow children to communicate and develop their speech and language skills. Activities that are a part of the daily routine encourage linguistic development, for example circle time, story time and when singing nursery rhymes. Children should be given opportunities to write in the indoor and outdoor areas, for example forming letters in a tub of shaving foam.
If children are given a variety of oral, practical and play activities they will develop their skills and understanding of mathematics. Providing children with opportunities to listen to songs, rhymes and stories which include a mathematical theme will allow them to arrange numbers and mathematical concepts. Games which involve numbers, shapes and measuring will allow them to remember concepts. Activities such as Lego can encourage them to solve mathematical problems. Children need to develop an understanding that mathematics is all around them, for example, cutting a sandwich in half, a car stopping at the red lights, running a race and coming first, second or third. The role play area will be able to contribute to mathematical development as the children are given an opportunity to pay for goods from the shop or give another child a food order. They will handle money and learn its value.
It is important for children to hear the Welsh language regularly and this can be ensured by giving them opportunities to listen to songs, rhymes and stories. They need to be introduced to the shapes and sounds of letters by offering a variety of reading books and electronic and interactive resources. Their Welsh can be practised by making marks and seeking to form the first letter of their name or the first letter of an object in a reading book. The childcare worker needs to be a good role model, pronouncing words and phrases clearly and correctly. Children need opportunities to ask and answer questions in Welsh in order to develop their confidence and self-esteem. Discussion periods will give them an opportunity to develop to speak Welsh confidently.
By offering a range of opportunities for children to experiment and explore indoors and outdoors they will develop the confidence to understand what is happening in the world around them. They can learn that flowers and plants need to be watered regularly in order to see them grow and the results of their actions will give them a sense of pride and make them respect the environment. By recycling waste in the classroom they will learn how their actions can improve the environment. Children will enjoy learning about people's jobs in the community and they can do this by visiting places such as offices, shops, clinics and the fire station. They will be able to show their understanding during imaginative play following these visits.
The following are some of the opportunities settings should offer children, according to the Framework for Children's Learning for 3 to 7-year-olds in Wales:
By providing furniture, resources and activities that are suitable for children's age and stage of development, a setting will support the physical development of children. It is important to make use of the outdoor area, as well as the indoor area. Toys such as bikes and scooters promote the development of gross motor skills, and help children to learn about speed, space and distance. Children need to take part in physical activities that challenge and motivate them and provide them with opportunities to explore and manage risk, for instance climbing and riding a bike. Activities in the construction, sand or water areas support the development of fine manipulative skills and hand-eye co-ordination. The environment should provide opportunities for children to develop their sensory awareness, and tactile resources such as wooden pegs, brushes, sponges, smooth stones, metal and wooden spoons, or pieces of material such as velvet can promote this.
The following are some of the opportunities settings should offer children, according to the Framework for Children's Learning for 3 to 7-year-olds in Wales:
By providing resources and activities that are suitable for children's age and stage of development, a setting will support the creative development of children. It is important to provide resources from a variety of cultures in order to stimulate new ideas, for example music so that children explore different sounds and movements. Natural materials such as clay, sand and water stimulate creativity and develop children's sensory awareness. Settings should provide a variety of resources in order to develop creativity, for example different types of paper such as newspaper or wallpaper, crayons, chalk and different types of paint.
If the environment offers children good opportunities to play, it will contribute to their holistic learning, growth and development. Therefore the environment's design will impact children's development.
Every child deserves a rich environment to stimulate them, therefore it is essential for childcare workers to understand how to develop play environments which provide vast experiences for children across all areas of learning.
In order to create a suitable environment in which to play, consideration needs to be given to space and equipment, hygiene and safety, as well as staffing levels. It is important for staff to have the appropriate skills to support every child in all aspects of their development.
A wide range of indoor and outdoor activities needs to be available in a clean, secure and comfortable environment.
The childcare worker needs to work in a way which ensures that children have opportunities to socialise, solve problems, develop their creativity, be inventive, make choices and take part in challenging activities.
In creating situations where children can take part in play activities, they will be able to watch others, play with others and learn from others. This can include role play which asks them to behave in a suitable way in different situations. They will learn how to socialise when interacting with other children, sharing, taking their turn and thinking of others. Through play, they will also learn how to lose, which is an important social skill as they get older. Therefore, when playing with others they will learn skills that will stay with them throughout their life.
Childcare workers need to provide children with opportunities to solve problems within a safe environment. The children must learn how to identify problems and how they can be solved. They need to interact with other children understanding that problem solving is easier with support, assistance and the opinion of others.
Childcare workers should not solve problems for children. By playing together, children will be able to assess different situations and agree on the best way to solve the problem. Having solved the problem children can analyse whether what was done has improved the situation in terms of play. Having done this, children will learn about their strengths and weaknesses and how working together can be fun.
In a stimulating environment, children develop their creativity without knowing that they are doing so. Creativity does not mean that children need to create something specific but they need to have opportunities to develop their curiosity through play.
They can develop creatively by routinely taking part in activities such as music, design, art, role play and dance. Providing them with opportunities to mimic situations will encourage them to use their imagination. These challenges are fun and contribute to their holistic development.
It is essential that children are given opportunities that will allow them to immerse themselves fully in what they are doing. By immersing themselves in rich play environments, children can adapt situations by being creative. Providing such opportunities often allows children to connect their play to real life. If a child creates a rocket out of recycled materials, the child will be using their imagination, and making the most of the materials available. In a situation such as this it is the process not the end result which is important. Childcare workers need to take an interest in children's play and watch what children are doing during the play process.
Children need a play environment full of challenges and risks in order to reach their full potential. It is important that childcare workers do not undermine the ability of children and children need opportunities to control risks for themselves in order to discover what they can do safely, without assistance. An activity without challenges will not enthuse the child nor allow the child to explore and discover new things. Children learn by doing, revisiting the situation and making changes to what they have already achieved. By offering challenging play opportunities, where the childcare worker does not intervene too much, children will have an opportunity to think and offer their own answers.
It is important that children can choose what they want to play and how they want to play. Providing rich, high quality environments for children will allow them to make their own choices which will contribute to their confidence and self-worth.
Not all children play in the same way nor with the same resources, therefore childcare workers need to offer a range of resources and activities to children. Children can then choose whether they want to participate in active play or play board games quietly. They may prefer performing or building and creating something.
Offering children choices gives them the opportunity to follow their interests and to take part in different types of play at the same time. They can also choose whether they want to play indoors or outdoors.
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Continuous provision is what is provided to children every day within the learning environment. This can be in the form of areas including:
Areas within the setting must include appropriate resources so that identified learning can take place. It is not enough to merely establish the areas and let the children play in them. The adult has a responsibility to meet the needs of every child by modelling, expanding and promoting learning. Continuous provision will promote learning as children use the resources independently. If the resources are engaging and suitable for the children's stage of development there will be opportunities to broaden their learning. If continuous provision works well the children will revisit the area regularly and the childcare worker needs to ensure that the children do not become bored. Consideration needs to be given to whether the range of continuous provision areas meets the interests of every child in turn, and adaptations will be required in order to ensure that this is the case.
So that provision is successful, the childcare worker must use observations and assessments when planning and introducing continuous provision within the areas of learning. Observing and assessing the provision is just as important as observing and assessing the children. If the provision is not suitable for the group of children at the setting it will not widen their skills nor promote their holistic development. Good practice can be ensured by considering:
Active learning allows the child to become a core part of the process. Giving children choices and allowing them to make their own decisions contributes towards their holistic development. If children play an active role in their learning, then they can plan activities in line with their interests and participate in play which appeals to them. Active learning will encourage children to develop independently and allow them to move their learning forward when they are ready. The childcare worker needs to understand how important it is to offer a combination of opportunities to children which includes those planned by the adult and those led by the children. In order to allow children to participate in action learning the childcare worker should:
This means that children can use their prior learning and remember that information in order to use it again in a different activity or scenario. By enjoying a range of experiences children will develop confidently to trial new things, and learning from their findings. Children will develop confidently overcoming challenges which will contribute to their holistic development.
The early years' curriculum should provide activities for children within each area of learning where they can enjoy direct experiences. As a result they will be given an opportunity to develop an understanding of themselves and the world around them, developing and learning holistically. When proving experiences, the child goes through the process of observation, discovery or encountering something for the first time. The experience will be reinforced as the child encounters the same experience again time after time. They will persevere with the task if they did not succeed the first time. Some children will have had more experience than others of encountering numerous risks while playing. This may depend on where children play when they are not at their settings. They may spend time in outdoor areas such as forests, gardens or parks where they will have had opportunities to explore and investigate the environment.
In order to allow children to learn through experience, the activities or play opportunities need to be spontaneous, and initiated by children. In order for this to happen, the environment will need to provide situations that encourage children to learn through their experiences. The childcare workers role is to provide suitable materials, equipment and resources within each area of learning that will allow this to happen successfully. The indoor and outdoor space should be flexible to enable children to change the space for different uses. The outdoor area can encourage children to explore and encounter challenges that they would not face in the indoor area. Learning through experience in the outdoor area will help children to increase their physical development, by practising fine and gross motor skills. By looking at the environment in a different way, perhaps by hanging upside down from a tree or by using a mirror to look at things differently, the child will start to understand and learn about the world around them.
It is important that children and young people are offered activities and opportunities that are suitable for their age and stage of development and that give them pleasure. Children will learn through play if they are interested in the activity.
By using the child-centred approach to learning, children will learn by doing rather than be taught.
Play helps children:
It seems that children learn far more when taking a direct part in play. By experimenting and exploring they will learn how things work and why things happen. This will give children control over their actions and will allow them to experiment with new activities in new situations as they get to know themselves better. When role playing or playing with friends, the child will be able to put themselves in a specific situation. They may imitate the behaviour of an animal they have heard about or read about in a story book. They will see some of their own characteristics come alive in the animals, and their personality and understanding of themselves will develop as a result.
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It is important that childcare workers can identify the needs of children and young people in order to provide them with detailed planning. By observing it is possible to identify the child's pattern of development and the progress being made against the development norms.
The development of observation and assessment skills is an essential part of the childcare workers work. When observing, the childcare worker looks at what the child does and listens to what the child says, recording the findings accurately. When assessing, a judgement will need to be made on the observation and the discoveries about the child in order to undertake further planning.
Observing children is important and is a professional skill which allows the childcare worker to find out about the child's intelligence, to see whether their skills are developing and to identify their preferences. Observation contributes to a professional approach in order to take children's well-being into account, including:
As part of the observation and assessment process, childcare workers will need to lead, plan and prepare activities and experiences in order to support development. Perhaps the observation and assessment process may have identified a potential delay in a child's social development. In order to meet their needs, the childcare worker may plan appropriate activities, such as role play with a small group of children in the creative area. The plans will need to focus on individual children's ages, interests, abilities and needs in order to support their development. The plans will identify activities and experiences in order to meet children’s individual needs, and it is important to encourage children to participate in planning, suggesting things they enjoy doing. They can choose between playing in the shop role play area, indoors or the mud kitchen in the outdoor area.
By observing children regularly, childcare workers will learn about children's strengths and weaknesses, likes and dislikes. The information will enable them to provide activities and resources to meet children's individual needs. A childcare worker may observe a child and discover that they enjoy sand play, and go to this area every day. The childcare worker may use the information to plan a specific activity in the sand pit to promote the child's development, for example adding money to the sand in order to support mathematical development. Alternatively, the childcare worker may observe the role play area and discover that a child who uses a wheelchair does not go into the area. The childcare worker may use the information to adjust the role play area so that there is better access and more room there.
Children may be observed formally or informally. The focus may be on the child or the activity being undertaken. Formal observation will involve carrying out an assessment, making comments, making check-lists and development charts. When observing and monitoring children informally, children will need to be observed playing and mixing naturally with other children.
There is a variety of ways of recording the progress of children in terms of their achievements and development and each setting will have its own way of doing so, including:
The information gathered will need to be retained in order to undertake short term and long term planning.
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Children will grow in confidence by being given constant encouragement by the childcare worker. The childcare worker needs to work in a way which offers encouragement through positive reinforcement, support and gestures in order to show that they appreciate the children's achievements. Sometimes individual attention will need to be given to a child and this needs to be done in a sensitive manner so that the child does not feel that they are being belittled. The child will not be an expert in every area of learning and it is important to recognise that everyone is different, that they have different interests and develop skills at a different pace. The childcare worker can encourage the child to ask questions if they see that an activity or task is proving difficult or they do not understand the logic behind the activity. This will allow them to cope with challenging situations in the future.
It is important to ensure that the opportunities meet the needs of each individual child and the childcare worker will need to adapt activities and experiences across every area of learning to include children with additional needs.
Difficulty | How to solve this |
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a child unable to hear the teacher's instructions | write the instructions on a piece of paper, draw pictures which describe what to do |
a child unable to hear other children | encourage other children to face the child when speaking |
cannot understand instructions | organise games where instructions do not need to be followed |
a child unable to stand | organise an activity where there is no need to stand, place activities on tables where the child can sit |
a child having difficulties balancing | vary the activities so that children with skills at different levels can choose for themselves |
a child unable to get to grips with doing a group activity | organise an activity in pairs |
difficulty doing a jigsaw due to weak coordination skills with the entire jigsaw moving when they try and slot a piece into place | place the jigsaw on a rubber mat so that it is more secure |
stairs prevent the child from accessing the playing field | install a ramp or lift to overcome the obstacle |
the setting's routine is unsuitable as the child needs a regular snack | offer the child food regularly and encourage them to eat when needed |
a child wants to play with the balls but has difficultly handling them as they are too small | offer the child a larger ball, make different sized balls available so that they can choose |
has difficulty reading when playing a word lotto game or word bingo | place pictures on cards rather than words |
a partially blind child is having difficulties taking part | opportunities to explore using the senses such as touch, hearing and taste |
More able and talented pupils include those who perform well across the curriculum and achieve above the expected level for their age. These children will have special talents and abilities in academic and creative areas, sports and socially.
Due to their special talents, they will need opportunities to expand their learning further as they have a high level of motivation and thrive on receiving challenging learning experiences.
Settings and schools must meet all pupils' needs, including the more able and talented pupils planning activities suitable for individuals or groups of children or young people.
This is good practice for all settings/schools to have a clear policy for more able and talented pupils which is revised regularly, but such a policy is not mandatory.
The children will need extra support and this can be ensured by:
Assessment and planning should be a continuous process; therefore the childcare worker needs to monitor, review and evaluate activities and experiences used to support children's holistic development within the areas of learning.
This provides information on the success of activities and helps the childcare workers when considering the effectiveness of activities and experiences in meeting individual children's needs and promoting their holistic development. This will also help the childcare workers reflect on the effectiveness of the areas of learning, their interaction with children and whether they have met their needs. Childcare workers will need to work in a way which implements and monitors children's development plans in accordance with their own role and responsibilities.
Plans will need to be created for every child based on the observations and assessments. Expectations should be realistic as children's progress relies on their existing experiences and how mature they are in terms of development. Plans will need to be reviewed and updated regularly, ensuring that they meet the needs of the child or group of children within the setting. Although children tend to develop at the same rate there is some variation. In planning provision, the child needs to be considered holistically, ensuring that every aspect of their development is covered. By doing this purposeful activities and play can be provided, led by the adult and the child.
The term feedback is used to describe comments that some offer to others on their performance or work. Attention needs to be given to feedback as it can provide ideas on how to change and improve practice in the future. Feedback is important for learning and development. Childcare workers should receive regular feedback from managers during their induction. This will help to raise awareness of strengths and areas for improvement. Constructive feedback helps to develop confidence and plan professional development. Feedback should be considered as a tool to help childcare workers to succeed rather than a threat. Childcare workers can also receive feedback on their practice from children and their families/carers.
Seeking feedback is important as it helps childcare workers:
Childcare workers will receive feedback from a range of sources, including children. It is important to listen to any feedback provided in order to improve practice. It is helpful to record this feedback for future reference, giving careful consideration and further attention to what has been said. Children will show, through their feelings and what they say, whether the activity which has been prepared is successful or not. Their behaviour will also show the success of any activities set by the childcare worker. Children like to talk and if the childcare worker communicates well with them, they are more likely to go to chat with the childcare worker.
The following are important skills to be considered by childcare workers and used as a basis for feedback:
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